DIY Photos for Your Booth
You want your work to stand out at an Art Fair, and for jewelry artists that is a hard thing to do. Our work is small in comparison to other artists and from a distance, the customer can't get a real feel for what we do. The best way to pull people into your booth is to hang large poster-size photos of your work. They are large enough for customers to view from outside of your booth, and they are excellent way to highlight some of your best work.
While there are many options when it comes to printing, I found an inexpensive and simple way to create these posters. Not only are they light-weight, durable, and easy to transport, but they cost so little, you can afford to change them up as often as you like!
First you will need to have your photos blown up and printed to size. The cheapest solution I found was at my local Costco. Sam's Club also prints for a comparable price, but since I usually shop at Costco for my groceries, I went there instead. A 24" x 30" print cost only $12.99, and it was ready in one hour!
Keep in mind that customers like to see work that has been published or for which you've won an award. So keep that in mind when you select your photos. For the printing at Costco, the pictures needed to be in 4x6 format which can be easily achieved using photo editing software. Otherwise, be prepared for part of your picture to be trimmed.
Your next step will be to obtain a foam core board with one self-adhesive side. I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby for $5.
Peel back the adhesive on the foam core. (Or better yet, have someone else do it! Isn't my hubby great?!)
For the next step, you might actually want a second set of hands. Line up your photo to the edge of the foam core, and press down lightly. You can lift the photo if you need to adjust. Slowly rub your hand across the photo ensuring all of the air bubbles are pressed to the side.
To hang your foam core, you can purchase small Command hooks that will adhere to the back. Simply center one on the back and press for 30 seconds. Let it dry for at least a couple of hours to overnight before hanging.
And that's it! Isn't this the simplist tutorial ever?! Now you have a cheap, but very professional looking display. It was great to see how many people my photos drew into my booth. I could have sold this necklace about 50 times at that fair. Everyone wanted one!
